Ruth 1:1 (WEB)

Passage

In the days when the judges judged, there was a famine in the land. A certain man of Bethlehem Judah went to live in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.

Nearby Context

Ruth 1:1 In the days when the judges judged, there was a famine in the land. A certain man of Bethlehem Judah went to live in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.

Ruth 1:2 The name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi. The names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem Judah. They came into the country of Moab, and lived there.

Ruth 1:3 Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left with her two sons.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "days", "judges", "judged", "famine", "land", "certain", "bethlehem", and "judah". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "days" and "judges", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The next verse adds "The name of the man was Elimelech...", so "days" and "judges" should be read forward into that movement. In Ruth context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "days" and "judges" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.